“Britain’s biggest housebuilders are taking customers for granted and doing too little to help when things go wrong, the housing secretary has said.

Sajid Javid intervened yesterday in the debate over construction standards at new-build developments to say it was “not acceptable” that some companies were “letting down their customers”.

The comments follow an investigation by The Times which found that Bovis Homes was misleading buyers and delaying essential repairs to poorly built properties. Hundreds of the company’s customers have complained of springy floors, leaks, missing insulation panels, poor drainage, unfinished gardens and, in some cases, serious structural faults.

Mr Javid wrote on Twitter: “Thank you The Times for highlighting how some big developers are letting down their customers. Not acceptable. Our plans to change… “